LED light bulbs

LEDs are getting cheaper and more efficient at an amazing pace now. But I wouldn't recommend anyone worry too much about holding out for better ones, even though I'm sure they're coming. They're cheap enough and efficient enough now that although good to have, future improvement aren't going to radically change your energy bills or environmental impact. It's a very good time to replace old filament bulbs that are used more than occasionally, and to stop buying CFL bulbs and replace with LED when they wear out.

Incidentally however, LEDs last such a long time, the ones already bought are going to represent a large amount of installed lighting for some time, so future efficiency improvements are going to filter in to use much slower as time goes by. All the research and investment may slow down too as sales reduce. My first LED bulbs, bought in 2010 are still working and even with heavy usage are supposed to last many more years. If the life span claims are correct, I might still be using these bulbs in 2030! I don't think we've reached a tipping point yet, still plenty of old filament bulbs to replace and older CFLs are wearing out at the moment, but in a few years LEDs are probably going to start creeping up in price and demand goes down and the manufacturing batches reduce in size.

jimjames wrote: »

Yes the problem now is a drawer full of CFL and incandescent bulbs that have been replaced and no use for them.

They contain a tiny amount of mercury so best not to break break them. They are worthless. If you go to your local tip, assuming it's like mine, there is a container with many hundreds of the things being disposed of. We have to de-box them before leaving them at ours.

I'm using up the old bulbs in little used fixtures, like the cupboards and in the toilet. It will take a while, but for rarely used fixtures, maybe a few minutes a week, I think it makes more sense to use the old ones up rather than make and buy a new bulb. I believe the turning on and off wears these bulbs out faster than ageing does, they certainly burn out before they've had the rated hours, so it may not make environmental and financial sense to make and buy a high efficiency bulb that's going to wear out without being lit that many hours. They only save energy when they're on, and they're not on that much in these locations.

I'm replacing with LED as each bulb goes. Much prefer LEDs to the coil-shaped early eco bulbs, but I'll use the latter up before I change them.

Ben84 wrote: »

LEDs are getting cheaper and more efficient at an amazing pace now. But I wouldn't recommend anyone worry too much about holding out for better ones, even though I'm sure they're coming. They're cheap enough and efficient enough now that although good to have, future improvement aren't going to radically change your energy bills or environmental impact. It's a very good time to replace old filament bulbs that are used more than occasionally, and to stop buying CFL bulbs and replace with LED when they wear out.

Incidentally however, LEDs last such a long time, the ones already bought are going to represent a large amount of installed lighting for some time, so future efficiency improvements are going to filter in to use much slower as time goes by. All the research and investment may slow down too as sales reduce. My first LED bulbs, bought in 2010 are still working and even with heavy usage are supposed to last many more years. If the life span claims are correct, I might still be using these bulbs in 2030! I don't think we've reached a tipping point yet, still plenty of old filament bulbs to replace and older CFLs are wearing out at the moment, but in a few years LEDs are probably going to start creeping up in price and demand goes down and the manufacturing batches reduce in size.

You will not still be using those lamps in 2030. Lifespan claims are usually completely false. Power supplies are not going to last 20 years, it's ridiculous to suggest they will and some companies out there really are misleading their customers with LED lifespan of 50,000 hours etc

Top quality LED's are not getting cheaper at an 'amazing' pace, whats getting cheaper is the cheaper stuff as everyone is in a race to the bottom on price (and quality).

I can see a lot of LED companies facing legal action in the future when their products suddenyl start failing en mass.